Largest Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2015: #4 Tuna

The fourth-largest multistate food poisoning outbreak of the year was a Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen raw tuna used for sushi and other dishes. The outbreak sickened 65 people in 11 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eleven people were hospitalized.

Health officials linked the outbreak frozen, yellowfin tuna produced by Osamu Corporation at a processing plant in Indonesia. The company issued two recalls. One on July 20, the other on July 21.

Salmonella can cause serious, sometimes fatal infection. Young children, seniors, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection, which usually develop within six to 72 hours of infection, include fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Most of those who became ill reported eating sushi made with raw tuna in the week prior. They reported onset of illness dates ranging from March 5, 2015 to July 20, 2015.

Case patients ranged in age from younger than 1 year to 83 years old with a median age of 31,, Fifty four percent were male. One person who tested positive for the strain Salmonella Weltevreden, the other 64 were positive for the strain Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+)